Glenn

^^ This ^^ you got an anomaly, it happens to EVERY rod brand. Abu stands by their products. They'll take care of you.

Separately, it's important to note this is a recreational fishing site. So the opinions and experience of members here are important and informative as it relates to the enjoyment of the sport. Along those lines, how's the smallmouth bass fishing in Brisbane these days?

Just to explain a little here, firearms and related equipment/supplies cannot be sold here due to legal issues. Not only are there a myriad of state laws to wade through, but remember we're an international site, and there are different laws around the world regarding the sale of these items. As a result, we do not allow those items to be sold here. Hope that helps! Glenn

Here's a quick primer, in case you haven't seen it yet:

13th works.

Yup, after the last triple-digit heatwave 10 years ago, I invested in central air - and a robust one at that (built for Arizona summers). However, I hadn't anticipated the power-grid here to fail under the pressure of fans/AC/refrigerators running nonstop. Had a number of power failures in my hood. I also had elderly family members here harboring from the heat (I'm the only one with AC). So the power failures were not welcome! Previous all-time record was 103 degrees...it hit 118 at my house yesterday. Absolutely crushing previous records. Roads buckled, tar patches melted....good times. NOT! Temps dropped by 20 degrees today....and it's STILL in the 90's! Whoa. Climate change is real - it whacked us upside the head this week just to let us know who's in charge.

118 at my house yesterday. Drinking plenty of water.

Ah, that's right. It's confusing, because Plano is listed separately even though they were acquired by Pure Fishing. But I expected Lowrance/Ray Marine to be separate because their acquisition announcement was just made, but it's not finalized yet. Lots of moving parts. ?

Here you go!

Yup, that and vendors from Canada too. But there's also a few domestic big names that won't be there, like Simms and Wiley X. I didn't see Strike King or Lew's either. Did you?

Relatively new to bass fishing, here's how to fish the Free Rig in detail to catch more bass.

Might as well get the annual ball rolling on this. ICAST will happen July 21-23...the annual event where everyone in the fishing industry convenes to do business for the upcoming year....where many new product announcements occur (a preview for the following year, not available yet). It's a business convention for the people who work in the fishing industry. It is not a consumer show. Therefore, it is not open to the public (sorry). But the media folks will be there to bring you the latest and greatest without the expense of traveling to - and staying in - Orlando. a.k.a. FREE! That said, this year will be different. From what I know, this will be a condensed show as many companies are opting out from participating this year. Their reasons are varied, but it equates to less product announcements. Coupled with the fact that many companies are announcing fewer new products (or none at all) at ICAST, means a more subdued event this year. Covid is far from over, and the supply chain and manufacturing issues are causing havoc across nearly every industry, and fishing is no different. Many companies are struggling to meet current demand with no relief in sight, so they don't want it to increase because it results in poor customer experiences. They are aware most of you are experiencing long wait times for your orders, or products simply aren't available, and they don't want to make it worse. So...don't expect a ton of new products coming out of ICAST this year. To be sure, there still will be new products announced and I will be there to bring them to you. But I don't think it will be at the level that we've seen over the past years. Just level-setting expectations before the "Why isn't X company announcing any new products?" questions start.

It is a good read. And I apologize if my comments made it sound like I wanted it to end. Quite the contrary - I wanted it to stay on topic and keep going!

No, it won't take entire season to catch fish. You might start catching them the next trip out. This video helps explain it:

Yup! Sure do! Here's a quick video that shows how to do it:

Yup. I fished a tourney where a guy passed me, then cut in front and washed me with his rooster tail. I filed a formal complaint to the TD, who only mentioned the incident as an anonymous "safety announcement" the next morning at launch. I watched the guy literally laughing when it was announced.

You're going to want to watch this:

Why yes! We DO have a video on that!

Definitely not condescending. It's a good question I've asked myself about several videos I've made, such as maintaining and re-arming inflatable vests. Even the video above has relatively few views. I made a video years ago about preventing spun hubs on props. Nearly 100% of the comments are from people who just had it happen to them, and now they're looking for ways to prevent it from happening again. Long-winded way of saying, @A-Jay, that it's not you or your posts. It's human nature to "prepare" or try to "prevent" something bad happening only after it's already happened to them. Unfortunately, when it comes to water safety, there's often not a second chance.

I'm passionate about water safety too. Here's what I do, and continue to advocate:

This is relevant:

If you could get any new baitcasting reel right now - money is no object - what would you get and why?

I've heard it pronounced both ways. Tomato, tomoto... I actually make fun of the different pronunciations at this point in the video (it's cued up):

Think the Jika rig is a gimmick? Watch the video first and then post your comments below.